A new study suggests people who took at least 1,200 micrograms per day of
inhaled corticosteroids had a 61% lower risk of developing lung cancer than
nonusers.

Researchers say inflammation in the lungs is thought to play an important
role in both COPD and lung cancer, and the results suggest that daily use of
inhaled corticosteroids may help fight inflammation and prevent the progression
from COPD to lung cancer.

“Tobacco smoke is a well-recognized stimulant of systemic and local
inflammation, and the role of inflammation in the causal pathway for both lung
cancer and COPD has been suggested,” says researcher David H. Au, MD, of the
University of Washington, Seattle, in a news release.

Smoking is a primary cause of COPD, which includes two inflammatory lung
diseases that interfere with breathing: chronic bronchitis and emphysema. An
estimated 11 million adults suffer from COPD.

Corticosteroids are powerful drugs used to treat inflammation and other
conditions.

Preventing Lung Cancer?

Researchers followed a group of more than 10,000 mostly older male U.S.
veterans with COPD who were treated in Veterans Affairs primary care clinics
from 1996 to 2001. Of these, 517 were regular users of inhaled corticosteroids
as determined by records of pharmacy refills and were included in the study's
analysis.

The results, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and
Critical Medicine, suggested that compared with nonusers of
corticosteroids, those who took 1,200 micrograms or more per day of inhaled
corticosteroids were 61% less likely to develop lung cancer during the course
of the study.

The researchers note that this is an observational study that “cannot
conclude that [inhaled corticosteroids] reduce lung cancer" and that the
results need confirmation.

Researchers say no drugs have been clinically proven to prevent lung cancer
among those at risk, but several are under investigation.

If further larger studies confirm these results, they say high doses of
inhaled corticosteroids may play a potential role in reducing the risk of lung
cancer among people with COPD. Previous studies have shown inhaled
corticosteroids reduce markers of inflammation such as C-reactive protein and
reduce airway inflammation.